Adressa's top 10 Norweigan CDs of 2003:
01. The Ricochets - The Ghost of Our Love
02. King Midas - Romeo turn
03. Magnet - On Your Side
04. Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
05. Johndoe - Rastløs Rock `n Roll
06. Julian Berntzen - Waffy Town
07. Sgt. Petter - It`s a record
08. Dipsomaniacs - Praying Winter
09. Motorpsycho & Jaga Jazzist - In the Fishtank
10. Lionheart Brothers - White Angel, Black Apple
Read more: http://www.adressa.no/kultur/article.jhtml?articleID=462217
It's not too dissimilar from the Dagbladet list (see 12/09), but here's the top 21 records of the year from Norway's Aftenposten:
01. Equicez - "State Of Emergency"
02. Magnet - "On Your Side"
03. Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
04. King Midas - "Romeo Turn"
05. Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
06. Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
07. Ephemera - "Air"
08. Rebekka Bakken - "The Art Of How To Fall"
09. Tord Gustavsen Trio - "Changing Places"
10. Supersilent - "6"
11. Enslaved - "Below The Lights"
12. El Corazón - "El Corazón"
13. Karen Jo Fields - "Chase The Blue"
14. St. Thomas - "Hey Harmony"
15. Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
16. Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"
17. Kaospilot - "Kaospilot"
18. Cloroform - "Hey You Let's Kiss"
19. Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
20. Jaa9 & OnklP - "Bondegrammatikk - The Mixtape"
21. Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"
King Midas - Romeo Turn (Ellet Records)
They describe themselves as "white funk with a psychadelic twist" and I guess that's fairly accurate. I'm just glad I didn't read that before I put this on because I think it would've tainted my opinion a bit more for the worse. I can't help it - I see the word funk and I immediately get surly. Anyhow, this record isn't that bad, but I think it just really isn't my thing. For one, I can't get past the vocals and I think that might be the make-or-break point of the band. The guy sounds a bit like Mick Jones of The Clash, but he's also got a Bob Dylan-esque quality in the way he holds long notes and enunciates his words. Again, just not my thing. On the other hand, the recording and mix is absolutely fantastic - everything is super crisp and clean and there's just the right amount of separation between the instruments. There's also a bold use of space that you just don't hear too often. I really like how they de-emphasize the guitar parts and let more interesting instuments take the lead roles and are unafraid to make them really loud and up close. I can't explain it, but it just works. I'd probably like this band a lot more if they were more pop/verse-chorus oriented.
Dagbladet's top 10 Norweigan albums of the year:
01. Magnet - On Your Side
02. Equicez - State Of The Emergency - Generation Equiz
03. Ephemera - Air
04. King Midas - Romeo Turn
05. Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
06. Sergeant Petter - It's A Record
07. Atomic - Boom Boom
08. Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather
09. Vidar Busk - Love Buzz
10. Kaizers Orchestra - Evig Pint
Now the question is whether any of these will hold up to international scrutiny, now that Norway is said to be the "new" Sweden, whatever that means. I'm sure frantic record execs are busy scrounging for someone to place their bets on now that the buzz has been started. I'm not sure any of these guys fit the bill either. Kaizers Orchestra is my own personal favorite of the bunch, but they sing in their native tongue, so you can scratch them from the list. Turbonegro is great, but they have waaaaaaay too many homosexual undertones for middle America. But what do I know? We'll see what happens. Read more: http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2003/12/09/385705.html (in Norweigan)
Nominees for Norway's Alarm awards:
Rock:
Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather
King Midas - Romeo Turn
Ricochets - The Ghost Of Our Love
Amulet - Danger! Danger!
Sgt. Petter - It's A Record
Pop:
Julian Berntzen - Waffy Town
Magnet - On Your Side
Ephemera - Air
Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
Karen Jo Fields - Chase The Blue
Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon
El Caco - Solid Rest
The Cumshots - Norwegian Jesus
Enslaved - Below the Lights
Thulsa Doom - ...And Then Take You To A Place Where Jars Are Kept
Hip-hop/Rap:
Paperboys - The Great Escape
Equicez - State of Emergency - Generation Equiz
Jaa9 & OnklP - Bondegrammatikk - The Mixtape
Spetakkel - Spetakkel
Diaz - Velkommen hjem, Andres
Electronica:
Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band - A Special Album
Pleasure - Pleasure
Xploding Plastix - The Donca Matic Singalongs
Tøyen - Did You Bring
Erlend Øye - Unrest
Jazz:
Atomic - Boom Boom
Supersilent - Supersilent 6
Come Shine - With The Norwegian Radio Orchestra In Concert
Håvard Wiik Trio - Postures
Paal Nilsen-Love / Ken Wandermark - Dual
Song:
Ephemera - Girls Keep Secrets In The Strangest Ways
Equicez - Barnslig
Ricochets - The Ghost Of Our Love
King Midas - Romeo Turn
Turbonegro - Fuck The World
Live:
Turbonegro
Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band
King Midas
Equicez
The International Tussler Society
The Alarm awards aren't quite as respected as the Spellemannprisen, Norway's version of the Grammy, but are considered more of a stepping stone for young artists. Go to the Alarm site to vote for your favorites: http://www.alarmweb.org/2003/
NRK has posted video footage of King Midas playing at Øyafestival. Check it: nrk.no/programmer/tv/lydverket/3065265.html