This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Vassendgutane - Xo
02. Thom Hell - God If I Saw Her Now
03. Diverse artister - Sorgen og gleden: Matte Marit
04. Motorpsycho - Little Lucid Moments
05. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
06. Madrugada - Madrugada
07. Ingrid Olava - Juliets Wishes
08. Elvira Nikolaisen - Indian Summer
09. Roy Lønhøiden - Når dagen demrer blått
10. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
11. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
12. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
13. Paal Flaata - Old Angel Midnight
14. Surferosa - The Beat On The Street
15. The National Bank - Come On Over To The Other Side
16. Glenn Lyse - Come Closer
17. Farmers Market - Surfin' Ussr
18. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
19. Grand Island - Boys And Brutes
20. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang

MP3: The Violent Years - Embrace

I'm on the road this week for my dayjob, so contributor Nancy Baym has been kind enough to take on today's mp3 post:

The Violent Years are an Oslo band who play a dark, melancholic, alt-country influenced Americana flavored rock in somewhat of the same tradition of Midnight Choir or, at times, Madrugada. They were one of the better bands I saw at by:Larm last February. This song is rich in atmosphere, and laden with haunting melodies that are never too oppressive or heavy. The guitar is nicely twangy, the singing straightforward and expressive, the rhythm section spacious and solid, and the feel simultaneously gritty and pretty. It makes me optimistic about their debut ep due to be released this spring.

The Violent Years - Embrace

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Motorpsycho - Little Lucid Moments
02. Ingrid Olava - Juliets Wishes
03. Diverse artister - Sorgen og gleden: Matte Marit
04. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
05. Madrugada - Madrugada
06. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
07. Vassendgutane - Xo
08. Paal Flaata - Old Angel Midnight
09. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
10. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
11. The National Bank - Come On Over To The Other Side
12. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
13. Glenn Lyse - Come Closer
14. Farmers Market - Surfin' Ussr
15. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
16. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
17. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang
18. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
19. Susanne Sundfør - Take One
20. Beady Belle - Belvedere

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Sorgen og gleden: Matte Marit
02. Madrugada - Madrugada
03. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
04. Glenn Lyse - Come Closer
05. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
06. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
07. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang
08. Farmers Market - Surfin' Ussr
09. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
10. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
11. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
12. Celine - Bæstevænna
13. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
14. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
15. Beady Belle - Belvedere
16. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
17. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
18. Susanne Sundfør - Take One
19. Tord Gustavsen Trio - Being There
20. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven

Norwegian singer/songwriter Ingrid Olava is streaming her debut Frode Jacobsen (Madrugada) produced album "Juliet's wishes" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ingridolava

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Sorgen og gleden: Matte Marit
02. Madrugada - Madrugada
03. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
04. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
05. Glenn Lyse - Come Closer
06. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
07. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
08. The National Bank - Come On Over To The Other Side
09. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
10. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
11. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang
12. Celine - Bæstevænna
13. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
14. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
15. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord og Øgonblick
16. Something Sally - Familiar Strangers
17. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
18. Sahg - II
19. Beady Belle - Belvedere
20. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2008

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
02. Diverse artister - Sorgen og gleden: Matte Marit
03. Madrugada - Madrugada
04. Glenn Lyse - Come Closer
05. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
06. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
07. The National Bank - Come On Over To The Other Side
08. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
09. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
10. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
11. Farmers Market - Surfin' Ussr
12. Susanne Sundfør - Take One
13. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
14. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2008
15. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
16. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
17. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang
18. Beady Belle - Belvedere
19. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
20. Celine - Bæstevænna

Madrugada
s/t
EMI

Guitarist Robert Burås left this world much too soon. And he will be missed. Those of us that got to see Madrugada live can certify that he was a main character in this otherwise so well put together combo. Being the sixth and final album from Norway's finest, this is nothing but pure genius. The intensity is evident throughout, both musically and vocally. On this self-titled full-length, the band has taken the atmosphere of foreboding that is their trademark to a higher level, which leaves us, the listeners, in a state of darkness that's indefensible. Simply put, we're reeled right in and I wouldn't want anything else. Frontman Sivert Høyem sings with such authority and grace, it makes my eyes fill up with tears. And seeing that I'm into The Birthday Party and Nick Cave, it's difficult not to compare, but Sivert has a hypnotizing way of taking each song to perfection, something Mr. Cave is missing at times. "The hour of the wolf" is a straight-forward rock song with howling guitars, powerful drums and a showcase of one of the shapes that was Madrugada. It's rock'n'roll in its purest form. The more acoustic "Look away Lucifer" is a dark and eerie song that sort of sums up the album as a whole. The uncanny feeling of this swan song is charming in a way that you never want to end. But, all good things must come to an end and I can't think of a better way than this. Kudos. And R.I.P.
- Jonas Appelqvist

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Sorgen og gleden: Matte Marit
02. Madrugada - Madrugada
03. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
04. The National Bank - Come On Over To The Other Side
05. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
06. Farmers Market - Surfin' Ussr
07. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
08. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
09. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
10. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2008
11. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
12. Leif Ove Andsnes - Mozart: Piano Concertos No 1
13. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang
14. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
15. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
16. Celine - Bæstevænna
17. Beady Belle - Belvedere
18. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
19. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
20. Alexandria Quartet - Alexandria Quartet

Is it really that much of a surprise? Madrugada will hit the road in support of their new album after all with dates all over Europe: http://www.madrugada.net/

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
02. Madrugada - Madrugada
03. Diverse artister - Sorgen og gleden: Matte Marit
04. The National Bank - Come On Over To The Other Side
05. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
06. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
07. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
08. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
09. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
10. Leif Ove Andsnes - Mozart Piano Concerto Nos 9 & 18
11. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
12. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang
13. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
14. Beady Belle - Belvedere
15. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2008
16. Celine - Bæstevænna
17. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
18. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
19. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
20. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
02. Madrugada - Madrugada
03. The National Bank - Come On Over To The Other Side
04. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
05. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
06. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
07. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
08. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
09. Gaute Ormåsen - Drømmesang
10. Leif Ove Andsnes - Mozart Piano Concerto Nos 9 & 18
11. Beady Belle - Belvedere
12. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord og Øgonblick
13. Celine - Bæstevænna
14. BigBang - Something Special - The Best
15. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
16. The Margarets - Twenty Years Erased
17. Kurt Nilsen - Push push
18. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2008
19. Animal Alpha - You Pay For The Whole Seat...
20. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm

Festival report: by:Larm 2008

Madrugada will be releasing "What's on your mind" as the next single from their fifth (and final) self-titled album. The b-side will be "Local Norma Jean" from the previously unreleased "Ivory Town" concept record recorded back in May 2007, but written way back in the "Industrial silence" days.

Here's the playlist for this weekend's radio show:

01. C.Aarmé - Blodet
02. TALK 1
03. Kaka - The hotspurs (the less we know the faster we go)
04. Bitch Boys - Automobile
05. Benea Reach - Rejuvenate
06. TALK 2
07. The Second Band - The urgency of now
08. Breach - Murder
09. Montys Loco - Criminal
10. TALK 3
11. Det Gamla Landet - Krutrök
12. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Cardiac arrest
13. I Am Bones - Home is the one corner of hell that didn't catch fire
14. TALK 4
15. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer
16. Timo Räisänen - Sixteen
17. When - The king
18. TALK 5
19. Beyond Dawn - Increasing the gravity
20. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Plokk
21. As In RebekkaMaria - She lion (Pato Sick Hangover remix)
22. TALK 6
23. Robert Svensson - 1987 (ft. Adam Olenius)
24. Paper - To her
25. Animal Alpha - Even when I'm wrong, I'm right
26. TALK 7
27. Niccokick - The poet
28. Asha Ali - Coward heart
29. Viola - I don't know how to party
30. TALK 8
31. Voices Break the Silence - No matter if it's now
32. Marybell Katastrophy - Red red lips
33. Anna Ternheim - Shoreline
34. TALK 9
35. Ulf Ljusberg - Here, me
36. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-garde - Democracy
37. Once We Were - Carnival
38. Birds On Holiday - I had a plan
39. TALK 10
40. Björn Kleinhenz - Tredje Långgatan 26