120 Days
Sedated times EP
Vice

With their new EP out, favourite melodramatic Norwegians' keep showing their skill at crafting dark, dramatic rock songs with influences ranging from Krautrock to the Jesus and Marcy Chain and New Order. It's all very catchy and certainly a hit with anyone who's ever wanted to look "heroin chic", but just as with their debut album, the band continues their streak of horribly clichéd and pretentious lyrics. Their homepage describes them, without a hint of irony, as "a bunch of scuzzy, city crawling electronic rock deviants hooked on dark nights of depravity, Krautrock and literary pornography." With lyrics such as "Take me down to the dreary basement where the sun never ever shines / and show me where you spent the days that killed the smile in your eyes" it's not surprising that the highlight of the record is actually the instrumental "Sleepless nights #11", which injects a dose of organ-driven melancholy (not unlike Det Gamla Landet) into the middle of the record.
- Viktor Ålander

The nominees for this year's Alarm Awards have been announced:

Rock:
120 Days - 120 days
Big Bang - Too much yang
My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
King Midas - Sorry
The Lionheart Brothers - Dizzy kiss

Pop:
Marit Larsen - Under the surface
Rockettothesky - To sing you apple trees
Superfamily - Warszawa
Magnet - The simple life
Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør

Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - In sorte diaboli
Satyricon - Now diabolical
Audrey Horne - Le fol
Mayhem - Ordo ad Chaou
Keep of Kalessin - Armada

Jazz:
Supersilent - 8
Shining - Grindstone
Håkon Kornstad - Single engine
Tord Gustafssen Trio - Being there
Hanne Hukkelberg - Rykerstrasse 68

Electronica:
Kim Hiorthøy - My last day
Lindstrøm - It’s a feedelity affair
Pleasure - Pleasure 2
The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams
Bjørn Torske - Feil knapp

Hip-hop/Rap:
el Axel - It is what it is
Karpe Diem - Rett fra hjertet
Darkside of the Force - El dia de los puercos
Tungtvann - Siste Skanse
Samvirkelaget - Musikk

Newcomer:
Susanne Sundfør
Moving Oos
Ida Maria
Rockettothesky
Elvira Nicolaisen

Live:
Big Bang
Superfamily
King Midas
The Grand
Samvirkelaget

Go here for more details or to vote for your favorite: http://www.alarmprisen.no/2007/index.php/og-de-nominerte-er/#more-76

Norway's 120 Days will tour Japan in November. Dates soon.

Paper Thin Walls has a new track from 120 Days: http://www.paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=994

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Timo Räisänen - My valentine
02. TALK 1
03. Torpedo - From Russia with love
04. Desert Planet - Breakout button
05. Ebba Grön - Mamma pappa barn
06. TALK 2
07. The End Will Be Kicks - Don Johnson
08. Skywriter - Where both worlds never meet
09. Skull Defekts - The secret
10. TALK 3
11. Tsukimono - Tokyo OEast
12. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Trying to get home
13. Enemy Alliance - Government subsidized ghetto
14. TALK 4
15. The Indecision Alarm - Where every fucking dream is killed
16. Dismember - Soon to be dead
17. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Moments
18. TALK 5
19. Kristofer Åström - All in
20. Pan Sonic - Virta 1
21. Ulver - Of wolf and fear
22. TALK 6
23. Mainliners - Olivia
24. 120 Days - Let me come down
25. Universal Poplab - 60 is the new 40
26. TALK 7
27. Dag Vag - Popitop
28. The Bombettes - Lust is the new black
29. Breach - Big strong boss
30. TALK 8
31. CS Nielsen - Black spots
32. Tape - Sand dunes
33. The Psyke Project - For us to see for us to help
34. TALK 9
35. Cortex - Shark boys die hard
36. Viola - I don't know how to party
37. Don't Be A Stranger - Lonely together
38. TALK 10
39. Broder Daniel - What clowns are we

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
02. Minor Majority - Candy store (2CD edition)
03. Kari Bremnes - Live
04. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
05. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
06. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
07. Bare Egil Band - Sanger fra Bare Egil By
08. Audrey Horne - Le fol
09. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
10. Raga Rockers - Ragas beste 1983 - 2000
11. Superfamily - Warszawa
12. Turbonegro - Retox
13. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
14. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
15. BigBang - Too Much Yang
16. Magnet - The Simple Life
17. 120 Days - 120 Days
18. Henning Kvitnes - Ut av veggen
19. Cortina - Been a long time
20. Trang Fødsel - Hammock

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)
02. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
03. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
04. Bare Egil Band - Sanger fra Bare Egil By
05. Superfamily - Warszawa
06. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
07. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
08. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
09. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
10. BigBang - Too Much Yang
11. Magnet - The Simple Life
12. Turbonegro - Retox
13. Raga Rockers - Ragas beste 1983 - 2000
14. 120 Days - 120 Days
15. Cortina - Been a long time
16. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
17. Diverse artister - Vi ganger med sanger
18. Susanna - Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos
19. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
20. Vigdis Eidsvåg - Eg undras

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2007
02. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
03. Turbonegro - Retox
04. The Kids - Hits fra Kids
05. Trang Fødsel - Hammock
06. Mira Craig - Tribal dreams
07. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
08. Heidi Hauge - Some broken hearts
09. Superfamily - Warszawa
10. BigBang - Too Much Yang
11. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
12. Vømlingan - Vømmølminner
13. Magnet - The Simple Life
14. Thomas Dybdahl - Science
15. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
16. Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations
17. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
18. Malin - Malin på månen
19. Datarock - Datarock
20. 120 Days - 120 Days

The Eardrums music blog has a nice feature on the various music videos nominated for the 30th Norwegian Short Film Festival: http://eardrumsmusic.com/2007/06/11/music-on-film-norwegian-music-videos-nominated-for-the-30th-norwegian-short-film-festival/
Featured artists include Lionheart Brothers, 120 Days, Hanne Hukkelberg, Thomas Dybdahl, Draumir, Superfamily and more.

The lineup for this year's Great Escape Festival has been confirmed and will include a special Norwegian spotlight featuring the artists 120 Days, Adjagas and "Reader's companion" alums The Lionheart Brothers: http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=387899
Other Scandinavians include IAT artist Hello Saferide plus Consequences, Promise and Monster, Loney, Dear, Johnossi, Magenta Skycode, Oh No Ono, Rockettothesky, Kissaway Trail and probably a few others whose names I don't instantly recognize.

120 Days
Live @ The Astoria, London, 02/26/07

Being the second band on a weird, but wonderful bill (including Cajun Dance Party, The Hold Steady and Kings of Leon) didn't seem to bother 120 Days who played as if they were headlining the Glastonbury Festival. I'm not personally a big a fan of their dance/rock hybrid (think Primal Scream), but I can very much see the appeal. If they'll play any festivals that I'll be at this summer and I'm drunk and in the mood for some dancing (two things that usually go hand in hand), I might just go and see them again.
- Simon Tagestam

Scandinavian artists playing the Great Escape Festival in Brighton this May: Adjagas, Oh No Ono, Lionheart Brothers, 120 Days, Damn Seagulls and Johnossi. Read more: http://www.escapegreat.com/artists/

120 Days's video for "C-Musik" is now online: http://www.vicerecords.com/video/120_Days-C-Musik.mov

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Askil Holm - Harmony Hotel
02. Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance
03. Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
04. Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles
05. Ane Brun - Live in Scandinavia
06. William Hut - Nightfall
07. Øystein Sunde - Sundes verden
08. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
09. Bjørn Eidsvåg - Nåde
10. Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes og Askil Holm - Hallelujah - Live
11. Somebody's Darling - Walls
12. Herodes Falsk/Tom Mathisen - De beste
13. Skambankt - Elixir
14. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook
15. Blind Archery Club - The Union
16. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
17. 120 Days - 120 Days
18. Tungtvann - 96% Tungtvann
19. Ole Ivars - Jag trodde änglarna fanns
20. Pleasure - Pleasure 2

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Askil Holm - Harmony Hotel
02. William Hut - Nightfall
03. Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance
04. Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles
05. Øystein Sunde - Sundes verden
06. Ane Brun - Live in Scandinavia
07. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
08. Bjørn Eidsvåg - Nåde
09. Herodes Falsk/Tom Mathisen - De beste
10. Skambankt - Elixir
11. 120 Days - 120 Days
12. Tungtvann - 96% Tungtvann
13. Pleasure - Pleasure 2
14. Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes og Askil Holm - Hallelujah - Live
15. Thomas Dybdahl - Science
16. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook
17. Marit Larsen - Under The Surface
18. Lionheart Brothers - Dizzy Kiss
19. Div. Artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2007
20. Ane Brun - Duets